Disclaimer: London Drum has no association with Big Ben. Whilst we make every effort to ensure the event information is accurate, events in London are sometimes cancelled or amended without us being notified. You should always reconfirm the event with Big Ben before making plans

On the way up the tower you will stop in two rooms to see the pendulum and mechanism, and on the way back down he'll take you behind all four of the giant clock faces.

Unfortunately, it's a lot harder to get into Big Ben than it is to get into Parliament itself. You can't just turn up on the day and ask for a tour -- you have to jump through a few hoops first.

First of all, you have to be a UK resident, and you must obtain a ticket by writing to your local MP. (Work out who your MP is by looking here.) They will then undertake a security check on your details before giving you a slot. You should be prepared for a very long wait -- tours are often booked up three of four months in advance. You should also expect some very tight security on the day -- you will be expected to bring two forms of ID with you.

Admin – “Have a read of the review and it says how many steps you climb at each stage .londondrum.com/blog/?b=164Happily you dont have to climb the whole lot in one go, you do get some rest stops along the way.They're not particularly steep, from my memory they were no steeper than the kind of stairs you have at homeYou wont be given a limitless amount of time to climb them though, because he needs to get you up to the top to hear the bell strike the hour”

Guest – “Hello again.Thank you ever so much for your reply, it's very helpful. I shall send a link to your blog to the WI ladies. Fab write up by the way.Thanks again.Mel”